Finder Folder View Options in macOS 13

Apple’s macOS 13 (Ventura) offers a variety of folder view options in Finder, designed to help users navigate, organize, and inspect files efficiently. Finder provides four distinct layout styles—Icon, List, Column, and Gallery—along with extensive customization controls through the "Show View Options" panel. This guide details each view format, how to access them, and the customization settings available to tailor the macOS 13 file browsing experience to your workflow.

The Four Primary Finder Views

You can switch between these views using the view buttons in the Finder toolbar, the keyboard shortcuts (Command-1 through Command-4), or the View menu in the menu bar.

1. Icon View (Command-1)

Icon View displays files and folders as individual graphics arranged in a grid. It is ideal for visually scanning folders with distinct image assets or fewer items.

  • Layout: Freeform or aligned grid.
  • Best Used For: Desktop navigation, photo folders, and media collections where visual recognition is key.

2. List View (Command-2)

List View organizes contents into a traditional, vertical spreadsheet-style layout. Folders can be expanded inline using disclosure triangles without opening a new window.

  • Layout: Rows and columns displaying file metadata (Date Modified, Size, Kind, etc.).
  • Best Used For: Sorting items by specific attributes, comparing file sizes, and navigating deeply nested structures within a single window.

3. Column View (Command-3)

Column View provides a cascading series of columns, where clicking a folder reveals its contents in a new column to the right.

  • Layout: Multi-column hierarchical tree with a detailed preview column on the far right.
  • Best Used For: Rapid navigation across multiple folder levels without losing your place in the directory structure.

Gallery View displays a large visual preview of the selected file in the center of the window, accompanied by a horizontal strip of thumbnails along the bottom and metadata in the sidebar.

  • Layout: Large preview carousel.
  • Best Used For: Inspecting images, PDFs, presentation slides, and video files without launching dedicated viewer applications.

Customizing Settings via "Show View Options"

Pressing Command-J or navigating to View > Show View Options opens a settings panel tailored to the currently active view.

Global View Settings

At the top of the View Options panel, you can set behavioral defaults:

  • Always open in [current] view: Forces the specific folder to remember and retain this display mode.
  • Browse in [current] view: Ensures that opening subfolders within this directory maintains the same view format.

Sorting and Grouping

Available across all views, this controls the order and division of files:

  • Group By: Arranges items into distinct sections separated by headers based on criteria such as Name, Kind, Application, Date Last Opened, Date Added, Date Modified, Date Created, Size, or Tags.
  • Sort By: Determines the sequential order of items within the view or group.

Icon View Customizations

  • Icon Size: Adjust icon dimensions via a slider (from 16x16 up to 512x512 pixels).
  • Grid Spacing: Modifies the spacing between icons on the grid.
  • Text Size: Adjusts file label font sizes between 10 pt and 16 pt.
  • Label Position: Positions file names either at the bottom or to the right of the icon.
  • Show Item Info: Displays additional details (such as pixel dimensions for images or item counts for folders) directly under the file label.
  • Show Icon Preview: Toggles dynamic thumbnails for supported media files versus generic file-type icons.
  • Background: Allows you to set a default white, solid color, or custom image background for the folder.

List View Customizations

  • Icon Size: Choose between small and large line-item icons.
  • Text Size: Sets label typography size from 10 pt to 16 pt.
  • Columns Displayed: Checkboxes allow toggling specific metadata columns: Date Modified, Date Created, Date Last Opened, Date Added, Size, Kind, Version, Comments, and Tags.
  • Calculate All Sizes: Computes and displays folder sizes alongside individual file sizes (requires additional processing).
  • Use Relative Dates: Displays dates as "Today" or "Yesterday" instead of full calendar dates.

Column View Customizations

  • Text Size: Sets the font size for item labels.
  • Show Icons: Toggles the visibility of tiny icons next to file names.
  • Show Icon Preview: Displays thumbnail previews in the file lists.
  • Show Preview Column: Toggles the dedicated rightmost inspection pane.
  • Thumbnail Size: Adjusts the dimensions of the thumbnail strip at the bottom of the window.
  • Show Icon Preview: Enables or disables live media rendering in thumbnails.
  • Show Titles: Toggles the visibility of file names beneath the thumbnail strip.
  • Show Preview Options: Customizes the Quick Actions and metadata fields shown in the right inspector pane.

Setting System-Wide Defaults

To apply your customized layout across your entire user account, open your preferred view, configure your settings in the Show View Options window (Command-J), and click the Use as Defaults button located at the bottom of the panel. Any newly created folder or uncustomized directory will inherit these settings.